After nine years away from the Octagon, following a successful stint in both RIZIN and Bellator, Kyoji Horiguchi made his Octagon re-debut in a big way, putting up a strong performance in a third-round finish of Tagir Ulanbekov at UFC Qatar.
A quiet first round saw Horiguchi land the more effective strikes, despite Ulanbekov’s attempts to pin him against the fence. Horiguchi then stunned him with a right hand early in the second round, using that shot and his leg kick attacks to stumble him to the mat. Ulanbekov got back to his feet, but he would be tagged and brought back down.
Horiguchi rocked Ulanbekov again in the third, landing a strong head kick and follow-up shots to knock Ulanbekov down. Horiguchi soon got to the back and under the neck, putting Ulanbekov to sleep and marking off a perfect UFC return for the former Bellator and RIZIN champion.
Kyoji Horiguchi Wins UFC Return At UFC Qatar
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Horiguchi originally fought in the UFC between 2013 and 2016, at one point challenging Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight championship. Horiguchi went on to score a pair of victories over Darrion Caldwell to become both the inaugural RIZIN bantamweight champion and the Bellator bantamweight champion, holding both belts simultaneously until injury forced him to vacate in November 2019.
He attempted to win back both titles, re-claiming the RIZIN bantamweight title again, before becoming the inaugural RIZIN flyweight champion on New Year’s Eve 2023.
This snaps a four-fight win streak for Ulanbekov, who entered this fight ranked No. 11 in the UFC’s flyweight rankings.
